Shadows Of Deception
by starchild13
Summary: Many have died yet the battle rages on. The players will change roles as the end draws near. A new mark shall appear. RATING MAY CHANGE! NG HRR HHR GTom lots of triangles!


DISCLAIMER: Obviously I own no one. I want own a few of them or at least borrow them for some fun! But that is a whole other story!  
  
THIS IS MY FIRST SOLO FIC PLEASE R/R OR I WILL NOT CONTINUE IT!!!!!!!!!! I have a very low confidence about my ability to write a good HP fic alone so please flame if you must so I don't ruin the master's work, but positive feedback is ALWAYS loved! OH yeah, anyone want to Beta?!? I really could use one.  
  
** means thoughts  
  
Enjoy....  
  
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The child shall bear the mark.....  
  
The world has assumed that a scar on the face of a young man is this mark. But the world is mistaken. Harry has been given all the training and all the influence to join The side of "good". Others have been left to find their own ways in the war torn world. The end approaches and lines shift every day.  
  
Neville tightened his grip on the gum wrapper as he left the lobby of Saint Mungo's. His mother had indeed given him enough to paper his room now. He surrounded himself with these tiny scraps of paper, they were his mother's love notes. He sighed as he walked on wondering if he would ever see a moment of sanity and love in those tortured eyes. He shifter his cloak up over his head.  
**Probably should apparate home now but I really can't deal with any more of grams today. Since I turned down the ministry job to open my own shop she has been pure wicked. Mom seemed a little happier today though. Her smile seemed bigger without Grams standing there. Dad even looked at me instead of lying there curled in a ball and moaning. Maybe I should go alone more often. Would be better if I took someone, but these days it's hard to find a friend. Damn Voldemort! To many good people are disappearing and poor Ginny. Charlie, Ron, Fred to many of her brothers have fallen for the cause. Damn Percy too! Doesn't seem to see that his family is right. Stupid git!**  
  
He turned the corner and ran into someone.  
"Oh, sorry didn't see you." He muttered and tried to step around them.  
  
"Neville? Neville Longbottem? Is it really you? I haven't seen you since ... well.. uhm since the funeral. How are you?" Hermione Granger smiled up at him from under a huge purple cape.  
  
"Oi! Hermione! Wouldn't have recognized you in all that fabric. Trying to keep dry?" Hermione smiled.  
"Actually I'm trying to keep us dry." She said parting her cape to reveal a pregnant body.  
  
"Oh...uhm congratulations I guess. So did Ron.. did he know? I mean if it's to painful to talk about we could... uhm" Neville's face turned pink as he stammered and tried to find a good escape.  
  
"Neville," Hermione reached out and put a hand on his arm with a sad smile. "It's ok. Yes, Ron knew, we found out a few weeks before he was killed. And wouldn't you know the Weasley curse it's triplets! Ron always said we wanted a brood." Hermione's eyes began to shine with tears but she kept smiling. "But, anyway! How are you? I heard you've finally opened your own store. I'm so glad to see you using that talent of yours! You always were the best with the plants. And not to sound selfish, but I like knowing one of my old school chums isn't in a directly dangerous job. Unless you count the hazards of horticulture." Hermione smiled and squeezed his arm but was beginning to sag under all her weight.  
  
"It is going wonderful, and yes horticulture can be very dangerous. Always got plants snapping at me or shrieking. But after all the adventures you three took me on in school I wanted some nice relaxing peace. Plus I've always understood plants better than people. But, I can see your tired so I let you go on. Come stop in and see me some time." Neville bent a kissed her cheek lightly then hurried around her and seemed to be fleeing.  
  
"Neville wait! Gin has been asking about you....Neville." But it was to late he had turned a corner and there was no way Hermione was going to waddle after him her feet were already killing her.  
  
Neville heard her and sped up. **Is that how people see me? Hiding away with my plants to scared to face the world? What would they say if they knew I still study my DA? I'm probably better than some of those Aurors. Ginny... damn I want to see her but it's to much. She is the biggest defender of Dumbledore. Right on the front lines of the war. If I stay away then her eventual death will be awful but I won't lose my heart too. I'll always love her in some way but that was all years ago. She was...is...amazing! But, not for me. Maybe their all right. Maybe I do hide away. But if they watched their parents being driven insane. If they saw all the death and destruction I've seen maybe they would hide too. Potter sure seems to be. No one has seen him for almost a year. Ever since Ron died, The-Boy-Who-Lived has been holed up somewhere. At least I hope he is if he's dead too then we are all doomed!**  
  
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Harry banged his head on the table again. The portrait started screaming in the hall.  
  
TRAITORS! HE'S DEAD! THE EVIL SPAWN IS DEAD JUST AS YOU ALL WILL BE! THE DARK LORD SHALL KILL YOU ALL!  
  
"Shut UP! I swear to god I'll burn you! You evil witch!" Harry threw his glass at the door and heard it shatter.  
  
YOU WILL ALL DIE!!!! NO ONE WILL EVER VANQUISH THE DARK LORD!  
  
There was a pounding on the he stairs and Harry could hear Remus wrestling to close the drapes. Eventually the sounds faded and in walked a very tired Lupin. Harry smirked and raised the bottle.  
  
"Sorry mate, I seem to have broken the last cup. Care for a pull it helps dull the... well it dulls pretty much every thing!" Remus scowled and reached for the bottle but Harry yanked it back quickly with a defensive pout.  
  
"Harry, it does no good for you to bury yourself in a bottle. I realize that you miss them. We all miss them. But hiding your sorrows in a daze of drunkenness simply doesn't work. Believe me. After Sirus died I did the same. But eventually you'll have to sober up and try to cope. Because, contrary to what you want you are alive and must live!"  
  
"REMUS! I don't want another lecture I want to enjoy my drink and remember when laughter filled the air. Well not in this house but I do remember laughter. To damn many tears have wiped it away. And smiling there was smiling." Harry's face seemed to glow as he stared off into the distance. "We were all so innocent. We thought that is was a battle but, we had no bloody idea what a battle truly was. Sirus left us that was the first blow then the whole bloody world fell in around us." Harry took a deep pull from the bottle and began to cough. "DAMN! It still manages to burn on the way down. Ron he just wanted to get some proof to show Percy that we were right. No one expected those stupid gits to be there. A library! Of all the places for him to die! Ron hated books! He should have fallen in a great battle on a field, or maybe by eating a poisoned concoction of the George's. The never seem to work these days anyway without Fred the mixes are all off. I should be the one who is lying in a coffin. DAMN!" He took another drink. "Sure ya don't want some?" He held the empty bottle up and peered at it. "Oh, never mind seems to be dry. Hermione needs Ron to help her raise the holy terrors that he knocked her up with. Three, god it'll be worse than the twins any day!"  
  
Remus watched as Harry muttered some more and began banging his head on the table again. He quickly shut the door to the hall and took the bottle away from Harry. Nothing seemed to work to bring him out of this mood. He was getting worse everyday. The Order had placed him under an unofficial, official, house arrest till he could maintain some composer. The last thing the wizarding world needed was to see The-Boy-Who-Lived screaming their doom. He left Harry there half passed out muttering apologies to long dead friends. 


End file.
